It is crucial for the decarbonization of transport, but the transition from combustion engines to electric cars is happening much too slowly. According to the industry expert Stefan Bratzel, Germany will “by far miss the target of the federal government of 15 million electric vehicles by 2030. A reality check is necessary,” said the head of the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach on Tuesday. The political goals had to be reconciled with the necessary measures.
There are currently even financial incentives if you decide to buy an electric car: the federal government is currently subsidizing the purchase of an electric vehicle with up to 4500 euros. From September 1st, however, commercial buyers will no longer receive a subsidy. They account for two-thirds of new registrations. From next January, the federal government will reduce the subsidy to a maximum of 3,000 euros.
The stock of battery cars (BEV) in Germany rose to almost 1.2 million in the first half of the year – this corresponds to a share of 2.4 percent of a stock of a good 49 million cars. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, 220,000 electric cars were newly registered in the first half of the year. According to Bratzel, however, 750,000 new BEVs would be required this year for the targeted rapid ramp-up. However, only 450,000 new registrations are realistic. On the current growth path, a stock of seven to eight million electric vehicles can be expected by 2030 – half as many as planned by the government.
VW has the most electric cars on German roads
The Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers called for the subsidies to be extended. “The market for e-cars in 2023 has only reached the previous year’s level to date,” said VDIK President Reinhard Zirpel. “Electric mobility is not yet a sure-fire success.”
According to Bratzel, most BEVs on German roads are from VW (207,000), followed at some distance by Tesla (146,000) and Renault (113,000). Hyundai, Smart, BMW, Opel, Audi, Mercedes and Fiat followed in midfield. Chinese brands such as MG (17,000), Volvo (9500), BYD (1448), Nio (844) and Great Wall (640) are still less visible. According to CAM, the proportion of SUVs and off-road vehicles in purely electric cars has grown from almost 26 to over 35 percent since the middle of last year.
But market leader VW in particular recently had to cope with falling demand for its electric models. Therefore, the hope of Wolfsburg lies in the new ID7 electric sedan, series production of which began on Monday in East Frisian Emden. “Today’s start of production of the ID7 is an important milestone for our transformation,” said VW core brand boss Thomas Schäfer, at the official start in the VW plant in front of dozens of guests from business and politics, including Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister and VW Supervisory Board member Stephan Weil. With the touring sedan presented in April with a range of up to 700 kilometers, VW wants to expand its electric ID series. At the end of the year, the electric car in Passat format should come onto the market.